For several Williamson County School Board members, Aug. 17 was their last meeting.
“I really take it to heart over the last 12 years to try to make decisions reflecting everyone’s interest,” Jay Galbreath, District 6, shared. “The interest of the schools, the students, their families, and the district as a whole.”
He is stepping aside, along with Dan Cash of District 2, Josh Brown of District 4, Eric Welch of District 10, and Drason Beasley of District 12. Each person was given a plaque for their service by Interim Superintendent Leigh Webb, and a moment to share how their time on the Board has impacted them. Everyone expressed great gratitude.
“This has definitely been a highlight of my life to be able to stand in the gap and support families all over the district,” Beasley said. “I just want to say thank you for giving me an opportunity to represent families and children well.”
Brown went to Page High School, and said if someone asked him if he would ever be on the school board in the same town, he would call them “crazy.”
“You know, we never know what’s going to happen, but it’s been an honor to serve. It’s been a privilege to serve a district that’s got the recognition and the status,” he said.
For Cash, the school board was a learning experience.
“Working with so many different people, so many different levels of education, this has been an education in itself. Every meeting, every month, something new,” he said.
And Welch — after thanking several groups including board colleagues, teachers and central office staff, Webb, and his family — made a nod to the importance of focusing on the students. He says they are the “north star.”
“I think about all the biggest, most contentious, nasty debates that we’ve had. I think they’ve never been at the center of it,” Welch said.
Other items of business
Aside from these goodbyes, the meeting went through several standard agenda items. One change worth noting is a new allowance for students with autism to have a “private pay provider” from outside the school system come in and help them better learn as their needs see fit. Another is approval of new superintendent goals as follows:
Data dashboard for board member access
Salary study implementation
Innovative programming and delivery models
Student achievement and growth measures
Family and community engagement
For more information on these goals and the meeting itself, there are agenda notes on the Williamson County School Board website.